Islamabad: Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi rejected Tuesday as ‘incomplete and insufficient’ the response by India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Parliament about the ‘accidental firing’ of a missile. He once again demanded a joint probe by the two countries into the incident.
Qureshi talked in detail addressing a press conference here about India’s accidental missile launch of March 9.
“What Indian defence minister had said in the Lok Sabha is incomplete and insufficient. It is not enough to satisfy Pakistan. I reject that and demand a joint probe,” Qureshi said. He reiterated Islamabad’s demand made last week.
“This was a highly irresponsible act and the answer given is equally irresponsible,” Qureshi said in the first Pakistani reaction to Singh’s detailed statement in Parliament.
Singh on the other hand asserting Tuesday that India’s missile system is very reliable and the safety procedures are of the highest order. He described the recent accidental missile release as ‘regrettable’. Rajnath Singh said a review of standard operations and maintenance was being conducted and any shortcoming if found, will be immediately rectified.
Singh also said the government has taken serious note of the incident, and a formal high-level inquiry has been ordered. It will determine the exact cause of the incident.
“During routine maintenance and inspection, a missile was accidentally released at around 7.00pm. It was later learnt that the missile had landed inside the territory of Pakistan. While this incident is regretted, we are relieved that nobody was hurt due to the accident,” the minister said in both Houses. The minister also said Indian Armed Forces are well-trained and disciplined and are well experienced in handling such systems.
In his comments, Qureshi lamented that the international community had failed to realise the severity of the Indian missile launch. The missile was capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and could have resulted in a nuclear conflagration.
Also read: High-level probe ordered on missile misfire incident: Rajnath
“One sided investigation is not enough. Its impact could be far beyond the region, because the missile was capable of carrying a warhead. It had this potential (of carrying a warhead) and to say that it was an accident, it is not enough,” said Qureshi.
He warned that the missile could have resulted in a reaction. “There could be an accidental reaction to that accidental launch if our air force had not picked it up well inside India. Do people realise the implication and consequences of that? That is very serious,” Qureshi added.
The minister said that the US State Department spokesperson at a presser while realising the importance of the issue skirted the question when asked about it and didn’t take a clear position.
“Do they realise whom I am addressing (US and rest of the world), that this missile could result in a war between two atomic states? I am not trying to be dramatic about it but it is a realistic assessment,” he said.
When asked if Pakistan would also respond with an ‘accidental launch’ against India, Qureshi said: “We are responsible people and expect India to be responsible.”